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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494281">Invasion!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirius04L/pseuds/Sirius04L'>Sirius04L</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Chronicles of The Flash and Arrow [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Invasion, Episode: s02e07 Invasion!, Episode: s03e08 Invasion!, Episode: s05e08 Invasion!, Gen, Insecure Barry Allen, Insecure Oliver Queen, M/M, Protective Barry Allen, Saving the World</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:36:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,559</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494281</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirius04L/pseuds/Sirius04L</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry and Oliver team up with Supergirl and the Legends to take out the Dominators - a retelling of the corssover with a Barry/Oliver twist. Barry feels like this is all his fault, Oliver feels guilty for what he sees when the Dominators abduct him. But they don't come first, the planet does.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barry Allen/Oliver Queen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Chronicles of The Flash and Arrow [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Flash Invasion!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Well...I'm still alive. Between the holidays, losing employees during said holidays, and everything else going on in the world, its been crazy. I've been working on this installment for months and while I'm still not completely happy with it, its done and I hope you guys enjoy it. </p><p>I'm starting the next installment shortly - now that I'm home with Covid I'll actually have time to sit and write for a bit.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Barry sat on the treadmill, his phone pressed to his ear. “Yeah, I’m still coming up this weekend. As long as you think you’ll still have time for me.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver laughed softly on the other end of the call. “Well, even if something comes up I’ll have you here to help out, right?”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled. “I’d be there in a flash.” Barry laughed when Oliver groaned. He heard the dinging and sighed. “I have to go. H.R. has something he wants to show us. Call me when you’re done with patrol tonight?”</p><p> </p><p>“All right, Bar.”</p><p> </p><p>“Be safe, Ollie.” Barry ended the call and walked into the cortex. He gave Cisco and Caitlin a smile as they walked in, Caitlin the only one to return it. He nodded gently and looked back up towards the screens as H.R. started his presentation. </p><p> </p><p>“You want to open S.T.A.R Labs to the public? In two weeks?” Barry asked and ran his fingers through his hair. He walked back and leaned against the computer station, trying to absorb what was being thrown at him. </p><p> </p><p>“Soft open. Not a hard open. I could use your input, all right? My vision is set to include but not limited to - bam - a personal transportation tour of the facility. Or, for the faint of heart we have -pow - a virtual reality alternative. Both set to include particle vision.” H.R. spread his arms wide, looking back at them.</p><p> </p><p>“Particle vision?” Barry asked, regretting the questions as soon as it left his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Particle vision which is a moment to moment reenactment of the particle accelerator explosion but seen from the point of view of the particle!” </p><p> </p><p>“Listen, HR, I know you’re trying to figure out how you add value to the team, I get it, but this - “ </p><p> </p><p>“Let me stop you right there B.A.” </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, don’t call me B.A.,” Barry muttered but the man just kept pushing forward.</p><p> </p><p>“I can make S.T.A.R. Labs the powerhouse in the scientific community that it once was. And moreover, earn back the people’s trust. Look at you guys.” Barry looked over at Cisco and Caitlin, both whom were giving H.R. the same look that Barry was sure was on his face; complete and utter disbelievement combined with ‘this guy is nuts’. “Your faces are just so darn gloomy. Here’s what we’ll do. I’m going to make you guys a - “ H.R. finally stopped talking as hectic beeping started behind him. </p><p> </p><p>“Is that the satellite? I hope that wasn’t the satellite.” Cisco walked to the front of the room and switched the monitors over to display the incoming information.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that a meteor?” Caitlin asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Why yes, that is a meteor and yes, it is heading for downtown.”</p><p> </p><p>Barry watched as the trajectory was plotted and where this thing was going to land. “I gotta go.” He grabbed his suit and sped out of the building, runnin to downtown, tracking the meteor with his own his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“Guys - “ Barry walked toward the object - the ship in front of him. He could barely understand Cisco’s voice coming through his earpiece. </p><p> </p><p>“What is it? Barry what do you see?” Cisco asked</p><p> </p><p>“This isn’t a meteor. Guys?” He tried wiggling the ear bud around but nothing seemed to help and eventually the line went out completely. He kept making his way forward, reaching his hand out to touch the ship only to be sent flying back, landing roughly on his side. He groaned and pushed himself up, shaking his head to try and clear it before focusing back on the ship. He scrambled back as it opened, creatures pouring out a running past him - one stopping to scream in his face before it took off after the others.</p><p> </p><p> “Oh come on - aliens?!” Barry cried out. </p><p> </p><p>Speeding back to S.T.A.R. Labs Barry tried calling Oliver but it went straight to voicemail, so he left a quick message, asking Oliver to call him back as soon as he could. He skid to a stop in the cortex and looked at the faces of Cisco, Caitlin, and H.R. “Aliens.”</p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p>Barry up all night, downing cups of coffee and the high calorie bars that Caitlin and Cisco made him, trying to see if there was anything that he could find on the aliens. He had a notion to go and ask Kara but without Cisco there he didn’t have a way to get to her Earth. And what were the chances that she’d have encountered them, anyway? </p><p> </p><p>He watched the news coverage the next morning, rolling his eyes when the reporter fed the government’s line about a training exercise gone wrong to the public when he saw a familiar face in the background. “Bingo.”</p><p> </p><p>Flashing into his suit he once again took off to the crash site, glancing around till her saw her.  “Lyla, what is this? I saw that weird ship that crashed -”</p><p> </p><p>“You saw a ship? What else did you see?” Lyla demanded.</p><p> </p><p>“Enough to get Ridley Scott nightmares.” Barry followed her gaze as she looked around, her eyes landing on an older man that appeared to be watching them.</p><p> </p><p>“Meet me at S.T.A.R. Labs. I’ll tell you everything I know.” </p><p> </p><p>Barry took a deep breath and looked over at the older man again. The man’s eyes were still locked onto Barry; he shook off the uneasy feeling and sped off.</p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“Aliens. Like, alien aliens or little green men?” Cisco asked, the smile disappearing from his face as the truth of the matter really hit him. </p><p> </p><p>“Both, sorta,” Barry said quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“Since we’ve learned of them we’ve been calling them the Dominators.” Lyla handed Barry a grainy and out of focus picture of what looked like a tall, slender man. But Barry could see that the silhouette matched the structure of the creatures he’d seen the night before. </p><p> </p><p>“That is not the name of a species that come in peace.” Wally said from near Joe. Barry couldn’t help but agree, but stayed silent as he waited for Llya to give them more information. </p><p> </p><p>“No, no, it's very aggressive.” H.R. agreed, twirling his drumsticks around</p><p> </p><p>“So how long have you guys known about these Dominators?” Iris asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Since the 50s.”</p><p> </p><p>“That was them. Redmond, Oregon. Government tried to cover it up.” Joe looked around as everyone in the room put their focus on him. “What? I watch Sci-fi channel,” He defended, Barry smirking and shaking his head.</p><p> </p><p>“In 1951 they appeared under the same sort of circumstances; ship crash landed, little to no communication. We learned that they were abducting humans to gather intel about us. They attacked and hundreds of soldiers lost their lives. Then, for some inexplicable reason, they left. All contact had been lost until three months ago when the D.O.D. received this.” Lyla turned away from them and started an audio clip that was attached to the file.</p><p> </p><p>“We pose no threat to human inhabitants. Understanding is our purpose. Any action against us, as shown to us in the past, will come with retaliation.” The voice was raspy and deep, certainly nothing like Barry had ever heard before. </p><p> </p><p>“So when we discovered four ships heading to earth we were concerned that it was happening all over again. One of them, obviously, landed here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right, because we ain’t got enough crazy going on here in Central City,” Joe said, an almost defeated tone to his voice. Barry didn’t even turn to try and give him a smile for comfort. All he could focus on was the message that was playing over in his head and why had one of the ships chosen to land in his city. If there was anything Oliver had taught him it was that most things, especially these sort of things, always happened for a reason.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know what they want?”</p><p> </p><p>“They’ve ignored all our attempts to communicate, but we do know, just like before, the drop ships contain reconnaissance teams sent here to gather more intel about us.” Lyla told them.</p><p> </p><p>“Looking for our weaknesses,” Joe said simply, putting out there what no one wanted to think.</p><p> </p><p>“We need to do something.” Wally looked around at the rest of Team Flash.</p><p> </p><p>“We are, nearly every member state in the U.N. is in talks to coordinate a response. Action is being taken.” She assured them.</p><p> </p><p>“So wait, you just want us to sit this one out?” Iris asked, frowning. </p><p> </p><p>“These things are like World War Z zombies. If they decide to attack no military can stop them.” Barry took a few steps towards her. He knew that this wasn’t going to be solved by them sitting aside and doing nothing. A.R.G.U.S. and whoever else was involved was going to need help. It might even be something that normal humans shouldn’t get involved with at all.</p><p> </p><p>“Neither could you. Not by yourself, anyway. Just let us handle this. For now. I’ll be in touch.” Lyla grabbed the USB from the monitor and walked out.</p><p> </p><p>“So our plan isn’t to just stay still and do nothing, right?” Wally asked, walking up to Barry.</p><p> </p><p>“No,” he said nodding</p><p> </p><p>“Barry, you heard Lyla. You can’t do this alone.” Iris said, her tone almost placating.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t plan to.”</p><p> </p><p>Barry looked at Joe who just groaned. “Not again,” He muttered and grabbed his coat. “Barry, you know I don’t like him in my city, not when it’s something like this.”</p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t help but smile. “I know, but it’s our best shot.”</p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“Anything?” Oliver asked, walking down the stairs and making his way into a large room, plastic hanging over the windows.</p><p> </p><p>“Zilch.” Felicity answered, Oliver just able to hear the beeping of her tablet through the link.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s gotta be here somewhere.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are the chances that this guy just decided that he had enough of this life, ya know? No health insurance, sick of the crazy hours, and bullets aren’t actually that cheap and he - just showed up.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver knocked an arrow, pinning Vigilante’s hand gun to the wall and headed towards him, his heart starting to pound as more bullets soared toward him and Diggle. And this time there was nowhere for either of them to hide in the spacious room. He felt something collide with him and the air started rushing around him.</p><p> </p><p>“Just me, Ollie.” Barry whispered against his ear.</p><p> </p><p>Oliver stumbled slightly as Barry dropped him and Diggle in his flat, the air crackling around them.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry -” Barry started but Diggle cut him off as he ran outside.</p><p> </p><p>“It's okay!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.” Barry waved to Felicity and Oliver closed his eyes, trying to regain his balance after the run across the city.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Barry,” She said and walked towards them.</p><p> </p><p>“So, who’s that guy?” Barry asked turning to Oliver.</p><p> </p><p>“That was Vigilante and we nearly had him!” Oliver raised his voice, clearly frustrated that they had been pulled away.</p><p> </p><p>“Nearly...had him? Ollie, looked like he was about to Scarface you guys.” Barry managed to keep his voice even, but he was sure the worry and fear that he had felt watching the bullets nearly collide with Oliver was bleeding into it.</p><p> </p><p>“Barry is there something that I can do for you?” Oliver calmed his voice down, recognizing the hitch in his voice, the way he was trying to put a pin of humor onto the situation.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes - ” Barry started. </p><p> </p><p>“Another evil speedster to help you with?” Oliver continued.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, maybe, actually. But that’s not why I’m here.”</p><p> </p><p>“What was so urgent you had to rush to Star City?” Felicity asked, breaking it up before Oliver could go back to being annoyed.</p><p> </p><p>“Aliens.” Barry looked at Oliver.</p><p> </p><p>“Aliens?”</p><p> </p><p>“Aliens.” Barry repeated.</p><p> </p><p>“I swear to God, Barry, my life was somewhat normal before I met you.” Diggle walked back in, wiping his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>Barry ran his fingers through his hair nervously, looking around at all of them, giving Thea a weak smile as she walked into the room. “I know, man. I’m sorry, look, okay, they’re real and they’re already here and from what Lyla told us it does not appear to be for peace.”</p><p> </p><p>“Lyla knows about this?” Diggle interrupted, frowning. </p><p> </p><p>“Lyla, yeah, she came - where - “ Barry watched him walk back outside. </p><p> </p><p>“I called Thea.” Felicity pointed to her when Oliver started to raise his eyebrow towards her.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I ah, came here to have you sign this before the City Council went into mutiny but that can totally wait. Count me in,” Thea said smiling, putting the stack of papers on the counter. </p><p> </p><p>“For what? I thought you retired.” Oliver stated, Barry knowing that look. Oliver wanted his sister nowhere near the fight that was about to happen.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but it's aliens.” Thea</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, that is so cute. You guys are just going to get together and go fight some aliens. Have you lost your minds?!” Felicity yelled. “They’re aliens and there’s only four of you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not if we get Stein and you know, all the others.” Barry looked around at them.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re calling themselves the Legends.”</p><p> </p><p>“Egotistical, but catchy.” Thea smiled, watching her brother and Barry. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you know where they are?” Barry asked. </p><p> </p><p>“I know where they were. Felicity, get a message to them, Thea, get your stuff together and let Diggle know to do the same. Looks like we're going to Central City. Barry, follow me.” Oliver walked towards his room, Barry following after him. </p><p> </p><p>“Did you get hit? I wasn’t sure if I pulled you away in time.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver put his bow on his dresser and turned to face Barry. He leaned against it and folded his arms over his chest. “No, I didn’t get hit.” He took a deep breath and swallowed, looking down. “Thanks for the save.”</p><p> </p><p>Barry walked over and kissed him softly. “No need to get all upset about it. I really don’t want a repeat of losing you. The last time was bad enough. Besides, you’d have done the same for me, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“In a heartbeat.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t let your pride get all wounded because I pulled you away from a bullet. Now if it was some wild...yorkie or something…” Barry smiled when Oliver snorted against his neck. “Missed you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Missed you too, Bar. Lets send these bastards packing so we can spend the weekend together like we planned, yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“What is this place?” Thea walked next to Barry as they walked out of the haner to join the others.</p><p> </p><p>“Its ah, this old hall, hanger thing that S.T.A.R. Labs owns. Or, I guess, I own it.” Barry shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“Well you should do something with it.”</p><p> </p><p>“All right, so let me get this right. Our ah, time traveling buddies in a flying time ship are supposed to just pop up right here, right?” Diggle asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, this is the time and place I gave them so if they got my message they should be here right now.” Felicity lowered Cisco’s goggles as the ship appeared. </p><p> </p><p>“You know I’ve never done drugs because I was always afraid I’d see weird stuff.” Diggle whispered to Thea. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, yeah. Take everyone inside, all right? Tell Oliver I’ll be right back.” Barry walked forward with Cisco.</p><p> </p><p>“Where are you going?” Thea asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Well since we’re fighting aliens I figured we should get one of our own, right?” Barry called over his shoulder, smiling at her. He didn’t know her very well, but he thought that they’d get along really well if given the chance. He could just picture him Thea, and Felicity handling a bull headed Oliver and he smiled more. He took the final steps to catch up with Cisco  “You found the right earth?”</p><p> </p><p>“The tachyon device tracked you on Earth 38 when you were there so you should find her there.” Cisco made some adjustments to his goggles and gauntlets. </p><p> </p><p>“All right.”</p><p> </p><p>“Just so you know, I’m only doing this because we’re on a mission. I’m not going to let my issues with you get in the way of that.” Barry nodded, the smile falling from his face. No matter what he said or did he’d never be able to make it up to Cisco and he wasn’t sure he deserved to after what he had caused. “This might take a few tries,” Cisco said and held his fist out in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“This better be the right place. Cause if this isn’t the right place someone’s about to be real confused.” Cisco looked around the apartment they’d finally stopped in. </p><p> </p><p>“Barry!” Kara walked in and put the bags in her arms down. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>“I knew it. I knew that was you. I knew it was you in that weird space - “ Kara hugged him and smiled over at Cisco.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry. It took a couple tries to get here. This is my friend, Cisco. ” Barry</p><p> </p><p>“Well, friend is a loose term. We work together. Hi,” Cisco said and shook her hand. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cisco,” He said, reintroducing himself. “I have to say it, this is a nice universe you have here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, do you remember last when I helped you out and you promised to do the same for me?” Barry asked and just like that the bubbly smile was gone and his friend was all business. </p><p> </p><p>“What’re we up against?” Kara asked. </p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, that was cool.” Kara stumbled through the portal with Barry and Cisco, looking around.</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, thanks for coming.” Barry walked towards the group that had gathered, all of the answering the call for help. </p><p> </p><p>“Barry, I thought you were bringing an alien.” Oliver stood there, his arms folded over his chest. Barry cleared his throat, looking away but not before a snug smirk landed on his boyfriend’s face. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we did. Everybody, this is my friend, Kara Danvers. Or as she’s known on her Earth, Super Girl.”</p><p> </p><p>“What makes her so super?” Jax asked from his place behind Sara.</p><p> </p><p>“Well..” Barry motioned to Kara who smiled and flew a few feet up in the air. She smiled at them before burning her symbol into the concrete between Team Arrow and Team Legends.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m convinced.” Diggle leaned forward and muttered to the Queen siblings. </p><p> </p><p>“Best. Team-up. Ever.” Felicity clapped her hands together excitedly. </p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, I think I’ve got this. Oliver.” Kara walked towards Team Arrow. </p><p> </p><p>“Green Arrow.”</p><p> </p><p>“Dig.” Kara asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Spartan.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thea.” Kara continued her way down the line.</p><p> </p><p>“Speedy,” Thea said and leaned towards Oliver. “She’s like a female version of Barry.” Oliver raised his eyebrow at her before putting his focus back on the alien that was joining the crossover.</p><p> </p><p>“And Sara,” she asked. </p><p> </p><p>“White Canary.” Sara</p><p> </p><p>“Jax and Professor Stein.” Kara</p><p> </p><p>“Firestorm,” they responded together.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, Ray?”</p><p> </p><p>“Palmer. The Atom.”</p><p> </p><p>“And Mick.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Heatwave.” Mick answered around a mouthful of food. </p><p> </p><p>“And Iris, Caitlin, and Felicity.” Kara skipped over to the women gathered at the front of the room. </p><p> </p><p>“Woo!” Felicity</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Kara</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, so she’s like a mix of Barry and Felicity but with cooler powers.” Thea whispered and Oliver rolled his eyes at his sister. </p><p> </p><p>“And you, you have cold powers but you can’t use them?” Kara asked, focusing on Caitlin.</p><p> </p><p>“You have powers?” Felicity looked around Iris at the doctor.</p><p> </p><p>“It's a long story.” Caitlin gave her a weak smile, effectively ending the conversation there. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, so Barry, Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow?” Iris whispered. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Barry said, frowning slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my God, he just got so much hotter.”</p><p> </p><p>Barry groaned and walked away from her, heading towards the computers that Cisco and Felicity had set up. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, Cisco, we should probably get started.” Oliver called out. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, um, these are the Dominators. We don’t know much about them.” Barry started. </p><p> </p><p>“Except they’re really strong. I heard a lot of stories about them when I was a kid. They came to my planet before I was born. They did experiments on a lot of people, killed a lot more.” Kara looked around at the people gathered around her. </p><p> </p><p>“They’re not the only ones with super-human strength I hear. Barry says you’re more powerful than a locomotive?” Thea asked, looking at her. </p><p> </p><p>‘We should use Kara as a stand in for training,” Oliver said before they could get side tracked again.</p><p> </p><p>“Since when is Robin Hood calling the shots?”</p><p> </p><p>“What I think Mick is trying to say is that it would be nice if we knew who was in charge around here.” Jax intervened before anyone could get defensive. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we should take a vote? Choose a leader. Someone we can all trust.” Ray suggested.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I trust Oliver. He’s got my vote,” Cisco said and all of Team Flash gave Barry a sad look. Barry shrugged it off, going to agree with Cisco when Oliver’s voice cut through the guilt running through his head.</p><p> </p><p>“Appreciate that, Cisco. But Barry put us all together. It should be him.” Barry looked at Oliver and gave him a thankful smile and nod before looking at everyone. </p><p> </p><p>“Fair enough.” Cisco muttered. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, um, cool. All right, we I guess as team leader first thing to do is ah, start out by ah, um -” </p><p> </p><p>“Doing a test run,” Oliver whispered</p><p> </p><p>“A test run. Yeah let’s do a test run.” Barry looked around at everyone. </p><p> </p><p>“Against Supergirl.”</p><p> </p><p>“Against Supergirl, all right? Test run against Super Girl.” Barry clapped his hands together. </p><p> </p><p>“Are we just supposed to pretend that we don’t hear him?” Sara smirked.</p><p> </p><p>“So just ah, suit up, okay? Look alive. We’re training to fight aliens by fighting an alien so suit up.” Barry took a few quick steps towards the group. “Oliver, hey Kara. Um, really quick. I was excited about the two of you meeting each other. Oliver was the first person to train me,” he said smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Kara smiled between the two of them. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Barry looked at Oliver, letting the smile on his face really grow.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you did a really good job.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s because I didn’t hold back. I shot him. You can’t hold back either.” Oliver looked at Barry, smirking slightly. </p><p> </p><p>“He did. Shoot me.” Barry winced and fought the urge to rub his back. </p><p> </p><p>“Ouch. Ah, okay. Are you sure about that? I just met these people -”</p><p> </p><p>‘These people need to understand that this isn’t going to be easy. Don’t hold back. Especially against me.” Oliver nodded at them and walked away to suit up. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes, sir. Wow. Did he not like me?” Kara asked</p><p> </p><p>“He’s like that with everyone. He’ll warm up to you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Seems to me he’s pretty warm with you.”</p><p> </p><p>Barry blushed. “Just...how?” He sighed and dragged his hand down his face. “Just...keep it quiet. Not everyone knows and we want to keep it that way for a while. It's actually just his team and my foster dad that know. Cisco did but I messed things up and now he doesn’t remember - ” He stopped when he saw the confused look on her face. ‘I’ll fill you in later.”</p><p> </p><p>She nodded. “I won’t tell anyone.”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled and walked away to get ready. “Hey,” he called out when he saw Cisco and Ray talking by the A.T.O.M suit. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, listen. I gotta get to work, Felicity’s waiting on me. We’ll talk about this later.” Cisco walked past Ray and clapped his arm. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey Barry.” Ray smiled walking over to him. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, where’s Snart?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, man I’m sorry Barry. I forgot that we never told you.”</p><p> </p><p>“What happened?” Barry felt a sinking in his stomach.</p><p> </p><p>“He sacrificed himself. Saved us all. He died a hero.”</p><p> </p><p>“A legend.” Barry said quietly. The man may have started as a villain, one that almost ended Barry’s life, but in the end he did the right thing. For both Barry and his team. He heard Iris and Wally and not wanting to get involved he walked away from Ray and got changed into his suit. </p><p> </p><p>He held his gloves in his hands and looked around for Oliver, making his way to him when he saw him adjusting his jacket. “Thanks for back there.”</p><p> </p><p>“You deserve it Barry. You can do this. The rest of us believe in you, just have to have some of the faith in yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not sure you’re right about that. There’s a few that definitely don’t have any faith in me, especially now.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver looked over at him. “Cisco. What happened between you two?”</p><p> </p><p>“Later? Let's just...get this crisis handled. Remember, we have a weekend to get to. Just you and me.”</p><p> </p><p>Oliver smiled and started walking with him when he saw Jax and Professor Stein heading towards Barry. </p><p> </p><p>“Barry, before we start training there’s something you need to hear,” Jax stated once they were close enough. </p><p> </p><p>“A message that would be better if we could share it with you in private.” Stein added. </p><p> </p><p>“All right, I’ll step away.” Oliver turned to go, but stopped when Barry spoke up. </p><p> </p><p>“No, no. It's fine. Stay.”</p><p> </p><p>“All right, but no one else.” Stein nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“All right. Let’s make it quick.” Barry followed Jax and Professor Stein to one of the mobile units that was stored in the hanger. He sat across from him and felt Oliver stand just behind him on his left. He was quiet as he listened to his own voice, a little rougher and a little older, come out of the device.  “Where did you get that from?” Barry asked quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“We found it inside a secret room aboard the Wave Rider. It was sent by you, 40 years from now,” Jax said.</p><p> </p><p>“40 years from now? Barry, what the hell does this mean?” Oliver asked.</p><p> </p><p>“It means I screwed things up when I changed the past.”</p><p> </p><p>“What did you do?” Stein asked. </p><p> </p><p>“I went back in time and I saved my mom. I created a timeline where she’s alive; it's called Flash Point. I lived in it for a few months until I realized I made a big mistake and I tried to reset the timeline. Put things back to how they were supposed to be, but -”</p><p>“But it didn’t work.” Jax</p><p> </p><p> “No.” Barry admitted. </p><p> </p><p>‘Wow, Barry, that’s - “ Oliver sighed and tried to make sense of what the others were telling him. </p><p> </p><p>“So, what’s changed since you did this?”</p><p> </p><p>Barry looked at Stein but had to lower his gaze when he saw the judgement in his friend’s eyes. “Cisco’s brother is dead, Caitlin has powers, Diggle has a son now instead of a daughter.”</p><p> </p><p>“What? John had a daughter?” Oliver asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t just screw up my life, man. I screwed up everybody’s lives and apparently everybody’s lives in the future. Felt like when these aliens got here that finally something happened that I didn’t cause. That maybe I could make up for everything I’ve done to everybody.” Barry looked up at Oliver, silently asking him to understand. </p><p> </p><p>“I think we should be on the up and up with everybody. We gotta tell them.” Jax looked at the three men in the trailer with him. Barry couldn’t look up to meet their eyes, not even looking at Oliver since his boyfriend seemed to shut part of himself off since Flash Point was revealed to him. </p><p> </p><p>“We’re going up against a bunch of aliens and you want to tell people that their lives might have been affected by time travel? One sci-fi problem at a time. You made a mistake Barry. It’s part of the job.” Oliver gripped his shoulder tightly, his thumb stroking the fabric of his suit. “We can’t deal with it today.” He let go and walked out, Jax following after him.</p><p> </p><p>Barry sat there for a moment, trying to think of something to say to Professor Stein that could make up for his mistake, or to make him understand why he did what he did. But all Barry could see was the disappointment in the man’s eyes and he sighed, stepping out of the trailer and after Oliver and Jax. </p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go again.” Oliver ordered, looking around at the group laying on the ground. </p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you want me to keep going?” Kara asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, yes. Just give us five minutes. Please.” Oliver got up, holding his side and Barry looked on while a small cut on his temple healed. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey.” Barry looked over at Cisco.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” He answered back, frowning slightly when he saw what was in his hand. </p><p> </p><p>“What is this? This is really you. Like future you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, look - “ Barry started but Cisco cut him off. </p><p> </p><p>“You told them, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m gonna tell them, yeah. When this is finished.”</p><p> </p><p>“When this is finished? Even though you’re about to lead them through an alien war? Even after Flash Point? After everything you’ve messed up, all the lives you’ve changed. You still don’t think you should tell them?” Cisco’s voice got louder the longer he went on and Barry just stood there, not doing anything to stop him. </p><p> </p><p>“Tell us what?” Sara asked</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, Jax and Professor Stein found a message from me in the future saying that right now I can’t be trusted.” Barry turned to face them all. He forced himself to keep his gaze up, owing them that after everything he had caused. </p><p> </p><p>“Why would future you say that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think because I went back in time and changed the timeline and now things here are different than before I left. Including some of your lives.” Barry admitted.</p><p> </p><p>“Some of our lives? Like who?” Kara asked</p><p> </p><p>“Cisco, Caitlin, Wally, Dig.” Barry added after a moment's hesitation. </p><p> </p><p>“Me? Why, what happened?” Barry looked down as the older man watched him. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, apparently you had a daughter,” Oliver said quietly. </p><p> </p><p>“I had a daughter, Barry?”</p><p> </p><p>“Baby John was Baby Sara.” Barry</p><p> </p><p>“So just...let me get this right. You just ah, you just erased my daughter from my life?” </p><p> </p><p>Barry blinked a couple of times, watching as a man he had a massive amount of respect for lost faith in him, just like Professor Stein and Cisco before. “Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t just go back and change things like that Barry.” Sara started towards him, stopping herself when she saw Oliver tense to her right. </p><p> </p><p>“I know.” Barry kept his voice calm.</p><p> </p><p>“You know how hard it is for me to not alter events? To bring my sister back? But I don’t because I know the implications.” Sara looked back at Diggle and Barry felt the guilt starting to bear down on his shoulders again. </p><p> </p><p>“All those aberrations that we’ve spent the last eight months traveling through time, trying to correct, you just decided that it was okay for you to create your own?” Ray shook his head and looked at Barry. </p><p> </p><p>“We should have told you before.” Jax spoke up but Barry looked away from everyone, not wanting to see the disgust that was there. </p><p> </p><p>“Guys! Guys, it's Lyla. The President has been abducted by the Dominators. She needs us now.” Felicity called out. </p><p> </p><p>“You guys go, all right. I’m gonna sit this one out. Obviously you have Supergirl, she’s just as fast as I am. Get the President. We can talk about this later.” He looked at Kara when she came towards him. “You still trust me, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll always trust you, but might take more to convince them.” Kara gave him a warm smile.</p><p> </p><p>He returned it as best he could and looked over her shoulder at Oliver. “If you need me I’ll be there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, this, hey! This is crazy. Everyone is going, including Barry. I...I’m not going without him.” Oliver</p><p> </p><p>“Then you’ll be here, Oliver,” Diggle looked at him before walking after the rest of the team, not sparing a glance for Barry as he did so. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, ah, you know what, Oliver. It’s okay. I will go with them, we’ll get the President. You stay here with Barry.” Kara watched the others head out and saw Barry walk the opposite way. She looked back at Oliver. “Look after him, okay?” She said softly before jogging after the others.</p><p> </p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t think about it, Oliver. I didn’t think about the future. I was so focused on the past that I didn’t think about it until now. I changed so much.” Barry stood inside the time vault, staring at the article projected in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“What is this?” Oliver walked towards Barry, his eyes taking in the headline. He decided right then and there that he would do anything to keep Barry with him. Barry would not vanish, not if he could help it. </p><p> </p><p>“This is an article from the future. It's a story about me vanishing. Used to be written by Iris West, but now...I don’t know. Something’s changed with Iris. Something’s changed with everyone’s future. God, what did I do?” Barry wrung his gloves together and looked down.</p><p> </p><p>“Barry, this is a weird looking newspaper article. Doesn’t mean anything. You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you vanish, if I’m going to stand by and let anything happen to you. As long as I have the power to do so, you’re going to be mine. Nothing’s going to take you from me. You need to stop beating yourself up over this.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, but how can you say that? How can you look at me? Trust me? I’m responsible for all this.” Barry turned and face him and just like every time it happened, Oliver was shocked by the anger in Barry’s voice and features. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe, maybe not. Barry, you made a choice. You wanted to see your parents alive again. Do you honestly know anyone, that if they were in your shoes, wouldn’t do the exact same thing? I would do the exact same thing. Barry, after the Gambit went down it was me, my father, and a crew member on a life raft, lost at sea. Enough food and water for one person, maybe. My father took a gun, shot the crew member, told me to survive, then turned the gun on himself. He shot himself in the head. He sacrificed himself so that I could live. Nothing I could do, no choice. Slade Wilson drove a sword right through my mother’s heart in front of my sister and I. I was there, I was helpless on the ground. I was powerless to stop it. No choice. Do you, do you not think that I would give anything to go back and make things different?” Oliver asked him, stepping forward. </p><p> </p><p>“You never told me that,” Barry said softly.</p><p> </p><p>“Barry, the world isn’t different because you changed the timeline.” Oliver reached out and cupped his cheek. “Change happens. Tragedy happens. People make choices and those choices affect everyone else. You’re not a god, Barry. The others are angry, hurt...and yeah they feel betrayed But they need time. They need to process what happened.” He stroked his cheek and leaned in, kissing him slowly.</p><p> </p><p>“I hope you’re right,” Barry whispered against his lips.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course I am - do you want to tell me -”</p><p> </p><p>Cisco’s voice rang out over the P.A. system. “Hey guys, wherever you are right now, we need you.”</p><p> </p><p>Barry moved away from Oliver and switched the feed so that the camera footage from outside was playing. He and Oliver watched as their friends attacked the building.  “Oh, things just go so much worse.” </p><p> </p><p>He jogged down the hallway with Oliver behind him, both of them pulling on their masks and gloves. He nodded to Oliver before opening the door and leading him outside. “Guys, can we talk about this?” Barry stood in front of Oliver, watching everyone close in on them. He grabbed the arrow that Thea shot at him before it could hit him. </p><p> </p><p>“Guess not,” Oliver muttered next to him. Barry grabbed Oliver and ran behind a damaged S.T.A.R. Labs van when Sara started throwing and Kara started using her heat vision on them.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong with them?” Barry yelled</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, but we need to find out.” they both stepped out from behind the van but before Oliver could even get an arrow knocked they were thrown back by another blast from Kara. Barry got up, running them to cover behind a S.T.A.R. Labs sign. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh wow - you really did it this time, Barry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Seriously?” Barry asked, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, yeah seriously. You come to Star City, you ask for my help, and then inevitably - immediately, we end up up the creek!” Oliver</p><p> </p><p>“Ok, yes, that’s fair.” Barry conceded. “They’re moving in.”</p><p> </p><p>“On three team leader.” Oliver got an arrow ready, moving to the side when a blue beam burst through the metal sign. “What’s that?” Oliver</p><p> </p><p>“That would be heat vision.” Barry supplied, giving him a weak smile.</p><p> </p><p>Oliver rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. “Three.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” He stepped out with him, Sara, Kara, Mick, and the rest of them gathered in a semi circle around them. Barry ran forward and knocked Mick back and drawing those that could fly to the top of the building. He managed to knock Ray and Firestorm back, but his lightning bolt didn’t even phase Kara. Instead she blasted him with her heat vision and sent him falling over the side of the building.</p><p> </p><p>He groaned, pushing himself up slowly, watching as Oliver did his best to fight off Sara, Diggle, and Thea. He tried to get up as they knocked Oliver down and started to converge on him.  “Wally?” Barry asked, the three of them limp on the ground. </p><p> </p><p>“Kid Flash,” Wally said smiling.</p><p> </p><p>Barry didn’t have time to yell out as Supergilr came flying towards them hitting Wally at full speed and sending him across the grounds of S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry got to him as fast as he could, bending over him and trying to wake him up. “Wally, talk to me, man. Come on.” He cursed to himself and reached out to the ones inside the building.  “Wally’s hurt bad, but he’s alive.”</p><p> </p><p>“We need an ETA on overriding the mind control!” Oliver yelled.</p><p> </p><p>“Bingo!” Felicity exclaimed the same time that Cisco called out “Yahtzee!”</p><p> </p><p>“You go first. You go first, it's your office.” Felicity motioned towards the computer.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s a weird signal coming from the salt mines.” Cisco told them.</p><p> </p><p>“For the record that is what I was going to say.” Felicity whispered to him. </p><p> </p><p>“Well can you jam it?” Barry asked</p><p> </p><p>“Um, no.” Felicity said, an apology in her voice.</p><p> </p><p>“How many of those do you have left?” Barry asked, looking at Oliver now. </p><p> </p><p>“Probably not enough.” Oliver kept his eyes on their mind-controlled team mates. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, this hallway leads to a bunker under the building. Just hold them off as long as you can.” Barry ordered. </p><p> </p><p>“Where are you going?”</p><p> </p><p>“If they can’t shut it down maybe she can.” Oliver watched as Barry stood up and looked towards Supergirl. He walked passed and squeezed Barry’s arm before putting Wally over his shoulder and running inside. “</p><p> </p><p>"Hey Supergirl! Let’s finally see who’s faster.” Barry took off, running towards the salt mines and could feel Kara creeping up on him. He dodged her hits and powers the best he could, keeping just out of her reach. “Too slow!” Barry taunted</p><p> </p><p>“Barry?” Kara asked holding her head.</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, they’re back.” Oliver’s voice came over the comm link.</p><p> </p><p>“What happened?” Kara asked.</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t kill me, so my day’s looking up.” Barry said smiling. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m so sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not the first superhero to be mind controlled.” Barry said shrugging</p><p>*~*~*</p><p> </p><p>“So what was it like being all mind controlled and stuff?” Felicity asked looking up at Mick as she held the umbrella over them.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t realize he had a mind to be controlled,” FIrestorm said laughing, Sara and the other laughing along with him as Mick just rolled his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“Barry, about before? Message or no message, we’re with you.” Ray said nodding at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you.” Barry;s voice was thick as the others nodded in agreement. </p><p> </p><p>“So where’s Super Girl?” Thea asked</p><p> </p><p>“Scanning the city to make sure there aren’t any more of the orbs that whammied all of you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, so now what?” Diggle asked. </p><p> </p><p>“Call Lyla, tell her these Dominators aren’t here peacefully.” Barry nodded at Oliver and they all turned to head inside when a beam of light came down and suddenly Sara was gone. Oliver looked up to where she had vanished. “Sara!” Oliver screamed</p><p> </p><p>Thea and Diggle were the next to vanish and Barry pushed Firestorm towards the building. “Everybody inside, go!” He made sure Felicity and Mick were headed that way and saw Ray get beamed away out of the corner of his eye. Then all that was left were him and Oliver. </p><p> </p><p>For Barry it happened in slow motion. He saw the light engulf Oliver and Barry took off, running towards him as fast as he could. Just as he was about to grab him Oliver vanished from in front of him. Barry looked up towards the sky “Oliver! Ollie!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Arrow Invasion!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Barry ran into the building. “Where did they go?” He asked Felicity, his eyes wide as he ripped his cowl off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out but I lost their signals.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Felicity, we have to find them. We have to find him.” Barry paced around, the others gathered in small groups, tending to wounds and trying to process what happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Barry we will...I’m taking Cisco!” She said grabbing her bag and grabbing Cisco by the arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where are you going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Back to Star City. Cisco can vibe and we can find him, right?” She asked looking at Cisco. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that could work. I just need something of his.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Felicity continued to drag Cisco out. “I’ll call you once I have an update on Oliver and the others.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry sighed and fell back into the seat that she’d vacated. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Gonna get you back, Ollie,” he whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Oliver ran through the woods surrounding the manor, dodging tree branches as he made his way towards the door. The couple of days were bog ones for him and the excited energy that seemed to run throughout the entire house was making him antsy. He slipped into his bedroom and smiled when he heard the shower running. Oliver walked in and quietly undressed before sliding in behind Laurel. He wrapped his arms around her and laughed against her neck when she startled against him. He pulled her flush to him, “There is nothing better than coming home to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laurel turned around in his arms and smiled up at him. “Wanna bet?” She started to kiss along his jaw. “How was your run?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled and kissed her, pressing her gently against the tiled wall. “Really asking me that now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smirked up at him and ran one of her hands down his stomach. “How was it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver gaped softly, moving into her. “Great,” He muttered before kissing her, effectively silencing her laugh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when they finally turned the water off and got out. Oliver wrapped a towel around his waist, walking over to grab on for Laurel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, how was your run?” Laurel asked as she took it from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know how it was, I told you about it in the shower,” Oliver chuckled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How could I forget?” Laurel walked around the shower door, her towel secure around her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver looked her over and smiled, happiness coursing through every inch of him. “Dinah Laurel Lance” He kissed her softly, resting his hands on her waist. “Will you marry me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked down at her ring and smiled. “Think I already answered that question.” The pair kissed again, Laurel pulling back from him slowly. “Okay, time to get ready. My sister will be here soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t have to get me a gift, Speedy.” Oliver took the box from her, turning it in his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just a little pre-rehearsal dinner gesture.” Thea leaned forward in her chair to watch him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He flipped the rock over in his hand, raising his eyebrow as he looked back over at her. “Well. little is right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It's called a hozen, it symbolizes reconnecting. Like you did with Laurel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thea, it's a rock.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a very thoughtful gesture from your amazingly loving sister.” Thea raised her eyebrow right back at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s better.” Thea leaned back in her chair and Oliver laughed, shaking his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, what’s going on here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thea gave me a rock.” Oliver looked over at his mother and father as they walked in. He stood up, the rock still tight in his grip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go champ. We’ve got a six o’clock appointment at the tailor’s, we’ve got to fight traffic.” Robert checked his watch before motioning towards the front door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh dad, you know I’m not much of a fighter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell that to the paparazzi you punched.” Thea reminded him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ten years ago!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still,” Thea said and shrugged, a smirk spreading across her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Might as well be a lifetime. You’re practically a completely different person. You both are.” Moira looked at both of them, smiling, and Oliver felt a sense of calmness settle in his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t start crying again, mom. Just save all the tears for the actual wedding.” Thea stood up and placed herself next to Oliver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think what your mother’s trying to say is that both of us feel blessed to have watched the two of you grow up,” Robert added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the house staff walked in and her shoe got caught on the edge of the area rug. Oliver leaned forward and caught the vase before it could shatter on the hard floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, sweet reflexes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver didn’t look up at Thea when she spoke, instead he kept his gaze on the vase in his hand and the sense of calm he had before vanished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tux is a good look on you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never really felt like my thing.” Oliver walked next to his dad, heading towards the car that was waiting for them along the main road. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you’d be more comfortable in a suit and tie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad, come on.” Oliver sighed looking at him. It was a conversation they’d had multiple times and it seemed that Oliver’s dad wasn’t going to give up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get sworn in as mayor in less than two months. I don’t have time to find a replacement CEO for Queen Consolidated.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about Walter Steel?” Oliver suggested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The board won’t back him, besides, QC is a family company. It should stay in a family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad, I want to make my own name. I don’t just want to rely on yours.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oliver, if you don’t do it the board’s going to push to accept Ray Palmer’s buy-out offer. What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver looked away from his dad and stared at the Smoak Technologies building that loomed over them. “I don’t know.” A tightness started in his chest as he looked at it, everything feeling off all of a sudden.  Excuse me.” He tossed over his shoulder as someone bumped into him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse yourself. Watches, wallets, phones.” Oliver and his dad turned and looked at the mugger who now had a gun pointed at the pair of them. “What’re you, deaf? Trying to catch a bullet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take it easy.” Robert put his hands up, trying to diffuse the situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll shoot your ass right here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Oliver practically snarled and got between his father and the gun. “Get away from him.” Oliver warned, his voice quiet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wanna piece of this?” All three men jumped as the gun was knocked out of the mugger’s hand. Before they knew it, the mugger was on the ground and a large man in a green leather outfit was sending him flying through hair air before firing an arrow and taking off after the mugger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you all right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Oliver was still looking towards where the man with a bow and arrow had disappeared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could have been killed. Why would you do a thing like that?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver didn’t have the answer. Truthfully, he didn’t know what had given him the confidence to step in front of the gun. But the feeling in him was growing. Something wasn’t right. Something felt off and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to figure out what was going on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mom is totally going to freak out.” Thea was sitting across from Oliver, just like before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s probably why she doesn’t need to know.” Robert told her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, she probably wouldn’t believe the part about the guy in the green hood anyway, so - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually your brother was the one who came to my rescue first. Quite the hero, son.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver hadn’t said anything throughout the ride home. He’d given his statement to the police but had remained quiet otherwise. Even while his father and sister were talking he’d stayed silent. A feeling was nagging him and it had all started when he saw the Smoak Technologies building. His father’s voice drifted over him and he saw different scenes flash in front of him; being pulled on board a lifeboat, his father pointing a gun to his own head, giving a younger Thea a Hozen, kissing a dark-haired Laurel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I heard what happened. Are you okay?” Laurel asked as she rushed in and Oilver finally shook himself out of it and stood up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, hey, hey, I’m fine.” Oliver assured her. He hugged her and as he pulled back another vision assaulted him. This time it was Laurel, bruised and battered in a hospital gown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oliver? Oliver are you okay?” Laurel</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need some air, I’m gonna - I’ll see you at the restaurant.” Oliver walked quickly, passed them and out the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh hey, Captain Lance.” Oliver jogged a few steps to catch up with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey. Just on my way out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a minute for me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Actually, I should have called you earlier. Detective Hilton told me what happened tonight. You all right?” Lance asked, closing the file he was looking over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, my dad and I are fine.” Oliver smiled at him, reassuring him like he had Laurel not long ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good, good. Well we got the guy in custody.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver looked over the board in front of him. It was covered in different newspaper clippings, a set of unidentified fingerprints, and a police sketch of the man. “Because of the guy with the bow and arrow?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’ve been calling him the Hood. Some kind of vigilante.” Oliver stayed in place, staring at the board. “If I’ve got the time right your rehearsal dinner is practically now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>More images flashed through his mind. His own body scarred and with tattoos, an old Queen Consolidated factory, a bow gripped in his hand. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver?” Lance called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you have any leads on who The Hood might be?” Oliver kept looking at the board, his eyes flashing from one paper to the next picture; the images in his mind not matching up to what the police had put together so far. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is the last thing you should be thinking about the night before your wedding. Or is that what’s going on here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” He finally tore his eyes away from the board to look at his future father-in-law. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You getting cold feet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not at all. I promise.” Oliver smiled and shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good, because I would hate to have to shoot you for breaking my girl’s heart, okay. The paperwork would be hell.” Lance</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In truth I’m probably more shaken up by the whole mugging than maybe I thought.” Oliver</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I got just the thing to fix that. A few drinks at your rehearsal dinner. I’m buying come on.” Lance smacked his arm and headed for the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, Captain Lance, I’ll meet you there.” Oliver glanced back at the evidence board. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll see you there.” Oliver started to head in the opposite direction, determined to find out the cause behind that strange flashes that he was seeing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, ah Oliver, something I wanna say.” Lance started and Oliver turned around, trying to appear calm when all he wanted to do was get out of there. “You know, when you and Laurel we’re ah, kids. You know, teenagers, I...well let's face it I didn’t like you much. I thought you were a rich, entitled, punk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was.” Oliver chuckled, putting his hands in his pockets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since then, Oliver, you have grown into a hell of a man. The kind of guy I’m proud to have as a son-in-law.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Captain Lance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you at that dinner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you there.” Oliver made sure Lance was heading out the other way before leaving himself with only flashes of a building to lead him to his destination.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The building that Oliver walked into looked nothing like the one that he had seen in his vision...delusion. He wasn’t really sure what to call them. Instead of desks there was debris everywhere and there seemed to be no power to the building at all. He turned around a few times before running his finger along the wood trim. A short, high pitched beep and a soft woosh were the only signal that he had found something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He rounded the corner and saw the wood paneling open to reveal an elevator, the clean lines and brightness looking extremely out of the place in the more traditional building. He stepped in and looked it over as he travelled down, further down than he thought it would go. When Oliver stepped out he looked around, the place looking like something out of a movie. Computer monitors, bright lights, beams, and different weapons lining the walls. “Oh, wow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell? Hi. We have an unauthorized entry!” A young blonde woman pressed her ear piece and took off and away from Oliver, hiding behind one of the columns as the man in the hood dropped down from above. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the man moved to strike him, Oliver blocked the blow easily to his and The Hood’s surprise. They looked at each other for a moment before the vigilante brought his other hand across Oliver’s face, hard enough to send him spinning and to the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’re you doing here?” Oliver shot off the table he was lying on, putting it between the two people he had found in the underground bunker.  “How did you find this place?” The Hood demanded. Oliver shook his head to clear it, blinking against the bright lights.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My name is Oliver Queen - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know who you are!” The man in green yelled, interrupting him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everybody knows who you are.” The blonde added on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did you find this place?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better question is why. He’s getting married tomorrow.” She looked over at the hood while pointing at Oliver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get out.” The Hood growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Oliver said, still trying to get his bearings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, wait!” Oliver gasped as he felt the man's hands squeeze around his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No one can know my secret.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver put his hands on the man;s wrists, trying to pull them away when he started seeing more flashes. A man standing guard, driving him somewhere, shaking hands. “Your name is John.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’d you say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your name is John Diggle.” Oliver tried to get out. More images coming to the front of his mind; sitting at a Big Belly Burger and laughing with this man, standing next to him as he got married, helping each other when they were injured, standing over him as he grieved over the loss of someone. Oliver took in deep breaths as he was finally released, reaching up and rubbing at his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bad idea,” The blonde said as John lowered his hood and removed the mask. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you know all this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think that we’ve met before. You were my bodyguard,” Oliver explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you think I’m funny.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re thinking of my brother, Andy. He’s in personal security,” Diggle said shaking his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were in the military.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“105th Airborne out of Kandahar. Did a lot of things back then I’m not proud of. Came back here to attone, I guess.” Diggle looked around the bunker, anywhere but meeting Oliver’s eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, John, stranger danger. Might wanna ease up on the info dump,” The blonde implored. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver finally looked at her and the visions started back up. The pair of them at dinner, meeting her for the first time, holding her as she bled. “Felicity. This isn’t right. I don’t think that any of this is right. I don’t think that you’re the Green Arrow and I don’t think Andy’s alive.” He looked at Diggle, taking in his reaction. “John, I think you killed him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He groaned as he was slammed down onto the ground, John pinning him and holding an arrow to his throat. “Oh, I hate being right all the time,” Felicity muttered behind them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen to me, you’re having some kind of psychotic break. Go back to your family, your fiance, your fancy house, and you're going to forget about all of this. Felicity’s right, you’ve got everything. Everything, man. Stop trying to throw it all away.” Oliver rubbed the back of his head as the elevator doors closed and he was lifted back up to the main floor. He walked out, playing the with the stone that Thea had given him earlier, going over John’s words as he wandered the streets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should have taken him up on his offer to carry you. It was awesome.” Kurtis practically jumped away from the fence and Barry smiled softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nobody’s gonna carry me anywhere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s so cool Felicity reached out. It’s awesome to meet you.” Rory sounded just as eager as Kurtis had been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry shrugged, still smiling, his mind back on Oliver. “Yeah, well, wait till you meet her.” He motioned behind them mere seconds before Kara landed on the semi-trailer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, everyone!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ve had enough of this.” Rene got off his bike, walking ahead of them and into the building as he drew his guns. Barry couldn’t help but be reminded of Oliver and how stand-offish he had been when Barry first showed up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The others followed behind Rene and started to search the perimeter, Barry staying a few steps back from Rene. “Yo, want some company?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So ah, what exactly is it that you’ve had enough of?” Barry asked keeping his eyes peeled as they walked through the building. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, just didn’t know there were flying metahumans now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh -” Barry</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No sign of Washington.” Kara interrupted, stepping behind Barry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Supergirl isn’t a meta. She’s an alien.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m one of the good ones.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are no good ones.” Rene kept walking ahead of them and Barry looked at Kara before jogging a bit to catch up. “Hey, what’s your damage, man?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rene put his gun away and turned to face them, pulling his mask off. “My damage is that people like you two have the power of Gods and you think you can just make the world a better place by putting on a fancy costume.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry smiled, glancing down at his suit before looking at Kara. “No, I think we make the world a better place because well, we do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look around. The moment he showed up metas start appearing everywhere and now you show up and we get aliens. Superpowers are evil man, and I don’t want anything to do with them. Or with either of you.” Rene put his mask on and Barry and Kara just stood there for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Remind you of anyone?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry shrugged. “Oliver warmed up to me...maybe he will to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They started walking after him. “At least Oliver’s warmed up to you...I’m still waiting for that to happen.” She muttered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver finally made his way back to the manor, having walked around the city most of the night. He did have everything, the girl of his dreams, his parents and sister, the whole world was his for the taking but there he was, ready to toss it all away. For what? Some visions that made no sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He quickly took a shower and made his way to where Laurel was getting ready, his mind made up. “Laurel I - “ Oliver walked in without bothering to knock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you know its bad luck to see the bride before wedding?” Sara asked, glaring at him from where she was looking in the mirror.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or skip out on the rehearsal dinner?” Laurel added. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, I said I was sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In a text.” Sara narrowed her eyes at him and Oliver sighed, running his hand through his hair </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sara, can you give us a few minutes, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stepped away from Laurel when she nodded and walked past Oliver, bumping him so he hit the door. “You’re lucky I’m not a trained assassin or anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowned, looking at her before walking into the room and shutting the door, putting his focus back on Laurel. “I...oh wow. You um, you look beautiful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I called you over 20 times last night.” Laurel fiddled with the sash on her wedding dress, not looking up at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t explain last night. It's just today...today I wanna marry you.” Oliver looked her face over, taking her hands in his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well that’s good because our guests - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not with guests, not in a few hours, now. Laurel I need to, I need to get out of here. I, we can elope,” He said quickly</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oliver - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m being serious. I don’t know what’s going on with me right now, I just know that I want to be with you as quickly as humanly possible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is going on with you?” Laurel asked, squeezing his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Last night, somebody reminded me that I have everything. And I don’t wanna give it up. I’m afraid that I’m gonna give it up.” He practically whispered, his grip on her hands getting tighter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s very sweet of you, but we have over 200 guests coming. Your parents, they have spent a fortune on this wedding,” She said softly, trying to calm him down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know and I’m sorry if this is confusing or I’m scaring you but the only thing in the world that makes sense to me right now is that I love you. And I’m going to take the job at Queen Consolidated, and I swear to God I’m going to work every single day to be the man you fell in love with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both looked over when there was a knock on the door and Oliver’s stomach sank when he saw John look in. It was too late. Whatever he was going to have with Laurel was going to disappear, he knew deep down. “Sorry about the interruption. The Russian lady downstairs told me to come right up. Got a minute to talk?” Diggle asked</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back,” He promised her, and he wanted to mean it, but something kept telling him that it was gone, if he walked out that door with John, this future was gone. He took a deep breath and walked out with him, shutting the door gently behind him.  “What happened to I should just go back to my life?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look have you been getting out into the city lately? Seeing, maybe, a particular building that shouldn’t be there?” Diggle asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Smoak Technologies. Yeah, when I was with my dad I saw it and it felt - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It felt wrong.” Diggle finished for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Felicity Smoak said she never owned a building. Or a company. I don’t know what’s going on here. When you left I started having these - “ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Visions? Right. Like ah, memory flashes. I’m getting them too. John  what is happening to us?” Oliver walked by his side, through the garden. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea. I’ve seen some weird things in the Stans and stranger things as the hood, but this? Look, when you left I tried to draw one of these, um, memory flashes, as you call them. Never been much of an artist but this is what I came up with. What the hell?” Diggle</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I’ve been remembering things. It’s like they’re dreams, but not. John, I don’t think that any of this is real.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re real. Whatever’s playing these head games with us - I don’t think it's fully working.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? Because the Queen’s Gambit…” Oliver trailed off, looking suddenly up at John. they’ve put me into a world where I never got on my father’s boat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if these are memories or feelings. But I think you’re a hero and I don’t think it's because of any boat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“These head games aren’t over. They are going to push back against whatever we do.” Oliver looked around the garden, for a moment forgetting about Laurel and everything else that was happening around him as he started to make sense of the situation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Push back? Like how?” John asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like that.” Oliver looked over and saw a masked man watching them. It felt like an out of body experience. He felt like he should know what to do, how to defend himself but his body wouldn’t react correctly. Oliver watched as John tried to fend off the madman, but both of them ended up on the ground, the sword was coming at him when it was stopped by Sara. His eyes followed her as she disarmed and ran the sword through the masked man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver and John got up, standing on either side of her. “How did I do that?” She asked, barely out of breath. The two men looked at each other before ushering her inside and hopefully away from anyone or anything else that decided to pop up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All right, this is hard to explain.” Oliver walked alongside her once they got into the manor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well start trying.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We think...we think we’re in some sort of shared hallucination.” John spoke up from her other side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s crazy. I mean, not as crazy as me knowing Kung Fu but it's definitely up there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That wasn't Kung Fu. That was Jeet Kune Do and I think you learned it in a spot called Nanda Parbat.” Oliver could hear the skepticism in her voice, but he was sure that he and John were figuring this out. But there was still something in the back of his mind that he felt like he was forgetting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing you are saying is making sense. None of this makes sense.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All right, Sara, what is the last thing you remember?” Oliver asked, his frustration starting to mount. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean before you came here yesterday. What is the last thing that you remember?” Oliver toned his voice down and watched as Sara got a far away look in her eyes. She looked back at him and he shook his head. “You remembered something. Come on. Sara, come on. Concentrate,” he ordered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There was a fight. There was five of us and then we were taken.” Sara look between Oliver and John confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Taken where?” Diggle asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All right, there were five of us. Who were the other two?” Oliver watched her, his arms folded over his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ray Palmer and Thea. I mean if this is some sort of dream or shared hallucination then how do we wake up?” Sara asked, voicing the question that Oliver hadn’t asked, or hadn’t wanted to ask, since he realized what was going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By getting out of here. The Smoak Technologies building - maybe the reason why that place seems so strange is because that’s the way we get out of here. Wherever here is,” John said, looking around the sitting room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry heard the commotion and ran to the source, just in time to grab Rene from in front of the energy blast the Dr. Washington was sending his way. He let him go and instantly ran over, hitting her until she flew back in the wall. He turned when he heard Kara behind him and smile before tagging her hand and running to the far end of the room. Barry started running once Kara sent the woman flying, clotheslining her and knocking her out.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was awesome!” Rory said as Barry walked over to stand next to Kara. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s the regulator. She seems pretty attached to it.” Kurtis looked at him and started to chuckle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now that they had successfully put Dr. Washington out of commission the worry over Oliver and the others was back and weighing heavily on his mind. “Maybe just...remove it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the save.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that all you have to say?” Kara asked and Barry looked over at Rene as he joined the group. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t do apologies, sweetheart. But if superpowers are a thing it's good there are guys like you to help the world. You know the green guy would have kicked my ass if I talked to him like that.” Rene muttered looking around at the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry nodded along with Kara. “But has he shot you, yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oliver walked into the room, giving Felicity a quick glance before walking towards Thea only to be stopped by his parents. “Son, don’t you think you should be getting your tuxedo on?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you all right, Oliver?” Moira asked, resting her hand on his arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver wanted to say no, that everything was perfect but it all felt wrong, but he just gave them a small smile and nodded. “I just need to speak with Thea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I saw her talking to Malcolm over by the ice sculpture. Son, I think you need to calm down.” Oliver looked towards Thea, not able to look them in the eyes in case it all came bursting out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We both do. You’re acting terribly strange,” his mother added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your mother and I are concerned. You keep up this unstable behavior that it is not going to finish well.” Oliver swallowed as he saw his father and himself on the Queen’s Gambit not long before it went down. “I’m just saying. Laurel, the company. ”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver looked down, giving this up would mean going back to the real world, where he got on the boat with his father. The same boat the Sara had snuck onto, that sunk and had nearly killed them both. There would be pain and fighting for them when they returned. His parents would be gone and so would Laurel. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is your life now.” Moira reached out, rubbing his arm again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and finally raised his eyes to look at them. He had people, a city, that depended on him. No matter how much he wanted this life he couldn’t walk away from what he would be leaving behind. “No it isn’t.” Oliver moved forward and hugged her tightly, taking in her scent and warmth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oliver?” she asked, frowning softly. He closed his eyes to keep the tears at bay and committed the feeling to memory. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath and pulled away from her and hugged his father just as tightly. “I’m so...I’m sorry,” Oliver whispered. The scenario he was in may not be real, but the man in his arms felt it and Oliver had never gotten to say those words to him before. Sorry for not being enough, for not being able to save him. He pulled back and walked away, not looking back.  “Speedy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She knows, Ollie. She knows and she doesn’t want to go,” Sara told him softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Question is why would you want to?” Thea looked at him and Oliver folded his arms across his chest, trying to keep himself together for her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because none of this is real,” Sara said after she and Oliver locked eyes. Oliver wasn’t sure he could give Thea a good enough reason to leave. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It's real enough, right? It's better than our real lives and in this life Laurel is alive. My parents are alive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Those are not your parents.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They remember the only lullaby that would actually work to put me to sleep. They remember every day of my life, okay. They even smell like them, Ollie.” Thea turned away from Sara and put her hand on Oliver’s arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re not them, Thea. I want them to be, but they’re not.” He kept his voice soft, not wanting to upset her any further. He cleared his throat and looked at Sara. “Where are John and Ray?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re waiting outside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Give us a few minutes,” he asked softly. Oliver waited until Sara had left before looking back at his younger sister. “We can’t stay here, Speedy, no matter how much we want to, we can’t.” Oliver</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not? What’s waiting for us wherever we are right now? Nothing. Nothing but pain and suffering.” Thea looked over his shoulder and Oliver knew that she was watching their parents.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have responsibilities, we have people that count on us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s Flash,” She started and Oliver felt like he got punched in the gut. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Barry</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s what was missing. Oliver had been so caught up in the life that he had thought he’d wanted and had forgotten one of the most important, one of the best things in his life. Laurel had once been his dream but Barry was real. And Barry was waiting for him, probably worried sick and blaming himself for what had happened to Oliver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Supergirl. And people with actual powers now. Whatever needs done they can handle. We finally have a chance to be happy. I mean why, why for a second can’t you just accept that maybe this is your reward for all of the sacrifices that you have made.” Thea pleaded with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t make those sacrifices for a reward, Thea. I did what I did because I thought it was right. Seeing all of this has shown me that there is still so much more to do. So please, I’m begging you to come with me because I cannot do it alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t lose them again. I can’t lose my family again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver nodded and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “Okay. Okay. All right. I want you to be well. I want you to be happy. I love you, Thea,” he whispered and walked away quickly, not looking at her, his parents, or Laurel as he made his way to the front of the house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Thea?” John asked</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Thea’s staying. Have you explained to Ray what we have to do?” he continued before any of them could ask questions but he saw Sara and Diggle exchange worried glances. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, apparently we have to get to an office tower that my non-fiance doesn’t own, which sounds strange. All that coming from a guy that’s having memories that he’s able to shrink.” Ray sounded a tad hysterical, looking around at them like he was hoping one of them would finally say this was all a joke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, whatever we’re doing we have to do it fast because whatever the Dominators have done to us, they’ve probably built in safeguards. Probably manifestations from our memories designed to keep us here.” Oliver grunted in pain as an arrow pierced his shoulder. He ripped it out, looking at the tip before looking in the direction that it came from and saw Malcolm lowering his bow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The four of them slowly spread out, taking in the villains from their pasts; Merlyn, Death Stroke, Darkh, and a few others.  “They’re not real.” Oliver reiterated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They certainly look real. But let's not get into that right now.” Thea walked out, falling in line next to Oliver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speedy?” He asked walking over towards her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I had a change of heart, okay? Like I said, I can’t lose my family again.” Thea smiled gently before looking out at the group of people across the yard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver and Thea stood in front of Death Stroke and Merlyn, Oliver taking a deep breath and flipping the arrow in his hand before striding forward and putting all he had into the fight. Now that he’d realized what was going on and accepted it, everything came back; how to attack, how to defend himself. As each opponent went down they vanished and when they were done Oliver looked over to see Ray helping John up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ollie?!” He looked over as Laurel came rushing out of the house. Oliver looked at Sara and the pair jogged over to the porch. “Sara? Sara, what’s going on here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Laurel, look I can’t explain but I have to go. We have to go,” Sara said softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? No. No, no whatever it is we can fix it.” Laurel looked toward Oliver before focusing back on her sister. Oliver stayed quiet, giving the two their moment, but it felt like he was losing her all over again. He knew he had Barry back home, but that didn’t make saying goodbye to Laurel any easier. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can’t. Somethings you just can’t fix.” Oliver heard Sara whisper before hugging her sister and walking away quickly, just leaving him and Laurel on the porch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ollie? Ollie, what’s happening?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver stepped forward and took her hands in his.“I’m sorry. The person you fell in love with? That’s not me.” He looked down at the ground and shook his head before meeting her eyes again. “And I never deserved that love. You always deserved better.” Oliver stepped forward and kissed her forehead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver smiled sadly and stroked his thumbs over her cheeks. “I love you,” He whispered and walked off, not looking back as she called out to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you! Don’t go!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The journey to the Smoak Technologies building was quiet; Thea, Sara and Oliver thinking about what they were leaving behind, John trying to stomach the pain from his gunshot, and Ray just not wanting to make things worse for the ones he was with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked in and Oliver looked around. “Okay, John, what now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys, I don’t think that belongs there.” The whole group turned and faced the glowing gateway the Ray pointed out. “Okay, either that’s the way out of here or we’ve got to click our heels together three times and say there’s no place like home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if that doesn’t work?” Sara asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It has to work. He’s running out of time. Come on.” Oliver helped John over to Ray as they walked forward. He turned around when he heard his mother’s voice and saw everyone that meant the most to him standing there, shadowy figures watching him. He heard each of their voices, but the last figure, Barry stood there silently with just a soft, proud smile on his face. Oliver swallowed and nodded before facing the gateway and walking through. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where are we?” Sara’s voice greeted as he stepped out of the pod, thing, that he was being kept in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked them all over, frowning when he saw John holding his side. “You all right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it may not be real but it still hurts like a son-of-a-bitch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah guys? There’s something you really need to see.” Ray called over from a window. The rest of them walked forward and Oliver’s stomach sank but he kept his face neutral. They looked at Oliver who just nodded, “Let’s go.” He looked around the corner and led them out of the pod-room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so how do we find our way out of an alien spacecraft?” Thea asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver wasn’t prepared to answer so when Ray stepped up he felt a small sense of relief. “This way. Even though it's an alien technology certain principles of design are universal.” The group turned a corner and both Ray and Oliver put their arms out to stop the others from coming any closer. “Or not.” Ray muttered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn’t move as the large group of Dominators quickly realized that their captives were loose. Oliver looked to the sides and saw, what he hoped, was a weapon and grabbed it off the wall. He pressed a small trigger and watched as two Dominators fell to the ground. “Ray’s right, certain principles of design are universal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver and Ray led the way as they all ran through the ship, trying to find a way off or to contact the other members of their team. They came to a large, high ceilinged room filled with small ships, identical to the one that had crash landed in Central City. “Can you fly one of these things?” Diggle asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m hoping between you, me, Ray, and Sara someone can fly one of these things.” Oliver said and moved them forward. They got the closest one open and got in, each taking a seat and looking around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, now what?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ray?” Oliver called. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, now might be a good time to find the owner’s manual,” Ray answered and Oliver looked at the alien craft. He slid further back in his chair as the column in front of him lowered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh, and mom said I wouldn’t amount to anything if I didn’t go to college.” Thea looked over at him, their mother’s smirk on her face. They all tensed up as the ship dropped, their hands gripping the sides of their seats. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I really hope you hit autopilot cause I don’t see any controls on this thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, we got incoming.” Diggle yelled over the beeping that had started. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you now?”  Sara asked right before the ship rocked to the side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucky guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need to find a way to steer this thing or we’re not going to last very long.” Oliver kept looking over the small screen in front of him, but nothing changed. They were jolted to a stop and Oliver looked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nate,” Sara said looking over at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver nodded and let himself relax into the seat as he felt the ship speed up. After a while they were towed inside the time ship and once the pressure equalized a door slid open and they were able to walk through. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oliver, nice clothes. Shop at an Alien Gap?” Nate stood up from where he was leaning against the wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not funny,” Oliver hissed and walked alongside him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, lucky for you guys the Wave Rider has a machine that replicates old clothes and weapons. Hi, I’m Nate Haywood.” Nate turned, smiling and shaking hands with Thea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, I’m Thea and this is exactly twice the number of space ships as I thought I’d ever be on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, actually it's a time ship,” Sara interjected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did you find us?” Oliver asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t, your nerd army back on Earth did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna take Dig to the medbay. Have Gideon fix him up.” Sara said and took his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoever Gideon is.” Diggle muttered and followed after him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, get out!” Thea said as the remainder of them walked onto the bridge and looked around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the save.” Oliver said looking at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No problem.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Except for all of our other problems.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like what, Ray?” Oliver</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After we woke up I got a look at the tech the Dominators were using to keep us under. They’re using a neuro-morph interface. Similar to how I manipulate the Atom suit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what does that mean?” Thea looked at Oliver and Ray. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think the shared hallucination was to keep our minds occupied while the Dominators - “ Ray trailed off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Dominators what?” Oliver pressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While they probed our subconscious. I’m guessing looking for intel. Maybe they didn’t choose us at random. Maybe they chose us because we couldn’t fight back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because none of you are metahumans.” Nate threw in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Question, what intel were they after? What is their plan?” Oliver asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stayed silent as Ray repeated the Dominator’s phrase that they’d heard while escaping and he continued to stay quiet as the ship’s computer translated for them. He stood at the counsel, looking at Thea when she spoke but the look on his face silenced her. Oliver pressed his fingers hard into his arms - an unknown weapon heading towards earth - towards Barry. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Legends of Tomorrow Invasion!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Oliver stayed quiet, first changing then watching out a window as they made the trek back to Earth. He waved both Sara and Thea off when they tried to talk to them, but how would they understand. There was a reason that the Dominators put Laurel into the hallucination - maybe he hadn’t moved past her like he thought. What did that mean about his feelings for Barry?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stepped out of the ship with the other and forced those thoughts to the back of his mind so they could focus on the incoming weapon and Dominators. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe that you guys escaped an alien spaceship. Key words, alien spaceship! I have questions!” Cisco’s voice brought him out of his head, the man walking ahead of them and talking excitedly and his hands flailing around him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They can wait.” Oliver looked over at Nate and spoke in a quieter voice. “Thanks for helping me get my sister home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, man.” Nate nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s our status?” Oliver and those behind him stopped as they came face-to-face with Barry and the others. He could see the relief on Barry’s face but he shook his head slightly to stop Barry from coming any closer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing since the Dominators paid their little visit to mess with our heads,” Barry said, frowning at Oliver, his eyes narrowing as he looked him over to see if he was hiding an injury.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would they do that?” Nate asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if they were trying to pit us against each other in order to gain intel about metahumans?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wish they would just send us an I.M. with a questionnaire.” Felicity muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kara looked at the group. “Well metas pose the biggest threat to their invasion. It would make sense that they’d want to get to know their enemies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By kidnapping people - perhaps they were searching your minds for potential metahuman vulnerabilities.” Professor Stein piggy-backed off of Kara’s suggestion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry’s eyes hadn’t left Oliver since the conversation started and they locked eyes when Oliver started to speak again. “I think it's time we return the favor.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to do? Kidnap one of them now?” Diggle looked over at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ever since we fought off the one ship they’ve kinda been in short supply.” Barry shook his head, pulling his eyes off of Oliver to look at the other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I know where to find one.” Nate walked past Barry and to the computers, pulling up the videos that he had been looking at before he was called to go after Oliver and the others. “I’ve been reviewing old Army footage of their first encounter with the Dominators. And I think I pegged the fight to Redmond, Oregon, 1951.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry moved to stand next to Oliver while the video played, but Oliver didn’t look over at him and left his arms folded across his chest. Barry frowned and focused his gaze on the video. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re suggesting we travel to 1951 to abduct a Dominator and interrogate it to determine their intentions?” Stein asked once they had all looked away from the screen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They kidnapped us, seems fair.” Sara shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Time travel, I’m definitely in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cisco’s eyes were still on the screens, but Barry  looked over and frowned. “Okay, hold on. Professor Stein and Caitlin have been talking about a way to take down the Dominators. They could probably use your help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pass.” Cisco didn’t even look at him and Barry frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m with him. Mostly cause I don’t want to lose my geek cred, but time travel!” Felicity bounced in place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could take Amiyah and Mick.” Nate looked at Sara for confirmation but it was Oliver that spoke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Barry looked at Sara, John, and Oliver while the others rushed to the Wave Rider. “And ah, the new president called. Which would be cool under different circumstances, but she wants to meet with us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let's bring Ray and Sara as backup.” Oliver nodded at Barry, still not able to smile or talk to him since he’d been pulled out of the hallucination. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about me? I can be back-up.” Kara offered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I talk to you for a second?” Oliver motioned over his shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.” Barry shrugged to Kara and watched the pair walk away. “What’s going on with him?” He asked John who shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He hasn’t really said anything since we got on the Wave Rider. Something must have happened in the dream, hallucination - whatever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry looked at Sara hopefully but she shrugged. “I tried asking him about it, but he saw a lot. His parents were there, Tommy was alive, he was marrying Laurel. I think it was just a bit to real for him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry just nodded and looked back at Oliver and Kara.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would like to minimize your involvement in this.” Oliver spoke quietly, glazing over at Barry and the people he was standing with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why? Because I’m an alien? I also happen to be your biggest weapon.” Kara frowned at him</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re an unknown quantity and this is not personal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Except that this is exactly how this feels.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kara, when I started living this life it was just me. I was going up against human threats. That I could handle. Then it was metahumans and I can handle that. Now, I learn that there are multiple Earths and I was brainwashed aboard an alien spacecraft - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure that was unnerving,” she interrupted</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver took a breath in through his nose and closed his eyes, “I don’t get unnerved, but when I go up against something new I push back. Right or wrong it is who I am and it is what I do. So I am asking for a little bit of space because I have to draw the line somewhere. I need to claw back a sense of normalcy.” He glanced at her before sighing. Please stay here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So where’s the President?” Barry looked around, Sara’s words floating over to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s late,” Oliver muttered impatiently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ray looked around, his eyes scanning the sky. “Well, you got to figure she’s got a lot on her plate , what, with the whole alien invasion thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And her predecessor getting killed”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry took the opportunity to take a few steps closer to Oliver. He started to ask him how he was but one look at his face had him changing gears. “Hey, um, what did you say to Kara earlier? She seemed pretty angry. I didn’t know she was capable of being angry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver swallowed and looked away, and let out a quiet sigh of relief when Sara spoke. “We’ve got movement.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of them watched as an SUV came towards them, two more branching out to the sides as they got closer. Barry stayed next to Oliver, but they all had their backs to each other, keeping an eye on the multiple vehicles that surrounded them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver stayed quiet, his fists clenched as an older man got out of a car. He was instantly on alert and he felt the others pick up on the strange situation. “I’m sorry, the President couldn’t make it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?” Barry asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I tell you, I’d have to kill you,” the man said. Barry didn’t move but he didn’t like the way that the man was eyeing him. And it wasn’t obvious, but Oliver had pulled his focus from the surroundings to the old man as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I think we have a misunderstanding. See, we’re the good guys. The President invited us here,” Ray said, holding his hands up in a placating manner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry, Sara, and Ray kept their eyes on the men holding gun on them, Oliver watching the old man but tuned into Barry. “Barry, I think its time you do something. And fast,” Oliver whispered while Ray was speaking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry gave a single nod and took off, diverting bullets back at the original shooters, pointing the guns in different directions before they fired so that the agents took themselves out. He slid to a stop next to Oliver, looking over at Ray when heard a soft ping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Sniper!” Oliver called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“On it.” Barry took off, closing the distance in mere seconds, disabling the man and the weapon before running back. He caught the tail end of the fight, Oliver shooting an arrow through a man’s lower leg and forcing him to the ground. He stopped in front of the man, who didn’t seem worried or phased by what had taken place.   “We’re trying to help you. This is how you thank us?” Barry demanded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand. The reason the xenomorphs are here - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is because they have a beef with the metahumans. Tell us something we don’t know.” Sara interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry shot a glance at Oliver before looking back at the senior agent. “Like what exactly have we done to them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, yet. But they see individuals with powers such as yours as a future threat. And frankly, so do I.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you’re such BFFs with the Dominators - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why don’t you call them off?” Oliver cut her off and he narrowed his eyes at the man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We know you sent them packing once before back in 1951,” Ray added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was just a reconnaissance mission.” Old dude</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What brought them back?” Barry hadn’t moved from in front of the agent, despite the uncomfortable feeling that he gave him. And he could almost feel how tense Oliver was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did, Mr. Allen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He knows who you are,” Ray said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sara and Oliver gripped their weapons but the man plowed on. Barry stared at him, his mouth falling open in shock. “You threatened the entire universe when you used your powers to upset the normal course of time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re talking about Flash Point? How do you even know - ” Ray started, Barry still not speaking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They told us,” he snapped at Ray and focused back on Barry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I made a mistake, okay. I’m not going to let it happen again.” Barry finally found his voice and he managed to keep it steady but it took everything he had to keep his shoulders from sagging and letting this newest consequence from weighing him down in front of the others. He’d been warned, but hadn’t realized how big of an impact his time travel had made - he’d brought aliens to Earth, caused death and destruction because of his selfishness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For the last 60 years we have enjoyed a truce with your so-called Dominators. You broke the truce.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver heard the slight tick in Barry’s voice and asked the question everyone was thinking of, but he was pretty sure he knew the answer to. “What do they want?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry took a few steps back and turned away from the group, away from Oliver, so he could get his bearings. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “I’ve negotiated a deal with them. If Mr. Allen surrenders himself, they will leave us in peace. You really want to save the world? Here’s your chance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry faced Oliver and shook his head. Before the archer could say anything Baary sped past him, pecking his lips as he went by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver watched the lightning disappear into the city and he sighed. “I’ll talk to him. I know where he’s headed.” He said nothing else, just put his bow in its rack, mounted his bike, and took off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should pay more attention to your surroundings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry snorted softly, looking down at Oliver from where he was sitting in the tree. He had pulled his cowl down. “Your bike isn’t exactly quiet, you know. I heard you coming.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver climbed up with ease, sitting next to Barry. “I would have driven you here myself if you hadn’t taken off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I knew you’d come after me, just wanted a few minutes alone with them.” Barry looked back towards his parents’ graves and squeezed Oliver’s hand when he felt it take his. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t your fault.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t it?” Barry looked back at him. “I went back in time, I created Flash Point. They’re here because of me, because of what I did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They would have come eventually, Flash Point or not. They’ve been monitoring us for years, before we were even born. You’re not the only metahuman. What’s been going on would have brought them here in a week, months, who knows?” Oliver turned, straddling the tree limb so he could face Barry full on. “You can’t just turn yourself over to them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s our only option.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Professor Stein and his daughter are working on a weapon, right? We have options, we just have to get them the time to complete what they’ve come up with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry leaned against the trunk and finally looked back at Oliver. “If it was you in my place, you’d do the same thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver shrugged. “Yes. But you’d come after me and tell me I was being an idiot and that we can beat them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ground rumbled below them and they looked around before turning their gazes towards the sky. A large ship was passing overhead, blocking out the sun. “We need to get back.” Oliver nodded and jumped down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry did the same once his cowl was on. “Want a ride?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He huffed. “Fine, but no going through buildings this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they got back to the hanger everything that had happened in their absence was reported back. The metahuman bomb, the number of casualties projected, that there had been no more word from Stein regarding a workable weapon to use against the Dominators.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry walked up, looking at the monitors and felt everyone staring at his back. He was the leader this go around, this was his call. “This isn’t up for debate. It’s not even a close call. Turn myself over to the dominators and they leave the rest of the world alone. Simple.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it's not simple,” Felicity said and looked towards Oliver for help. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Barry, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done. You can’t do this.” Diggle added on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry gave them a soft smile, not looking Oliver in the eyes. He wasn’t sure he could walk away from him if he did. “It's been an honor to know all of you, to fight alongside all of you. Now it's up to you to keep our home safe.” He turned away from them, taking a deep breath and started to walk away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Barry,” Oliver yelled after him. Barry stopped and swallowed, forcing his feelings down. “I’m not letting you leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No offense Oliver, but you and what army?” Barry turned around, looking at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This one.” Kara shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry looked at all of them, his eyes finally settling on Oliver who had his hands on his hips and his eyebrow raised. He smiled softly and shook his head, looking at the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen Red, I don’t like you. But when you got a crew, you don’t take a hit for the rest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s actually pretty inspiring. I mean, up until the point where Mick compared us to a bunch of criminals but - “ Barry started to walk towards them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“According to the Dominators we might as well be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe they’re right, maybe we do more harm than good but this is our chance to find out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry looked at the two members of the Wave Rider, people he’d just met and had never even fought with. “Guys -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cisco closed the gap between them, planting himself in front of Barry. “We’re not letting you sacrifice yourself. There’s no way. I don’t if that’s what it means to be a hero, you’re not a hero to me. You’re my friend.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiled softly and gripped Cisco’s arm. “That - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yo, guys, You know that ship that landed in Central City.” Jax and Sara rushed into the room. Everyone looked over at the pair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s opening up,” Sara finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry looked directly at Oliver. The pair nodded at each other, Barry clenching his fists as Oliver spoke. “Here we go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>:I’m reading reports of ships opening up all over the world. Oh frack.” Felicity ran from one of the smaller monitors to the ones lining the wall behind them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Talk to me.” Oliver and Barry walked over, their eyes quickly taking in the numbers of ships on the screens,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something from the Dominators mother-ship just broke atmo and not to get too technical but it's really really big and falling to Earth really really fast.” Felicity pointed it out to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s the metabomb,” Barry said quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would the uglies drop ships on us if they’re just planning on blowing us up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because these ships were distractions - to keep us from stopping the metabomb.” Oliver looked over at Barry who was still watching the screens in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too bad cause we’re gonna stop it.” Cisco’s voice came over everyone’s ear pieces. He lowered his voice but they still heard him when he continued to speak. “We’re gonna stop it, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lets hope.” Sara muttered</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have to keep the Dominators at bay.” Oliver turned to Barry to start formulating a plan when they heard Stein call to them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This might help.” He held up a small, circular device. “I’ve massed produced a small device that when placed on individual Dominators will cause indescribable agony. Not the nicest invention but this is war.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice going.” Barry took it from him, looking it over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The caveat, of course, is that if we activate the weapons before all the devices are placed on the Dominators they’ll know what we’re up to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we got to do it fast.” Oliver looked at Barry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry snorted. “Only way I know how.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barry stood to Olivers left, the others flanked behind them. They stood still, watching the flood of Dominators walking onto the building’s roof. He took a deep breath and ran, going ahead of the others, taking as many out as he could while still placing the devices onto the aliens.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes widened when he saw Oliver flung off the roof but before he could move he saw Kara dive and deposit him safely back up. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and went back to focusing on his task, knowing the faster that he was able to do this, the safer everyone would be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good work planting Professor Stein’s nano-weapons but we’ve still got Dominators all over the country. This looks like a job for Supergirl.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Felicity. I’m not the least bit insulted,” Barry deadpanned as he ran out of Central City. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, sorry. I meant Supergil and Flash. This is totally a job for the both of you. That’s what I meant, Supergil and Flash.” Felicity rushed out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry ran across the country, putting the small discs on all the Dominators that he came across, reports from Kara and Felicity in his ear. He stayed quiet, only updating when he’d finished a city.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “All right, the devices are being planted. Let me know what I can bring the pain.” Felicity’s voice came over the comms, Barry able to just hear the clicking of her heels on the concrete floor of the hanger.  “Still waiting on that singal!” Felicity called out a few minutes later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver looked around, seeing the team started to become overwhelmed by the amount of Dominators on the rooftop. “Do it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Done,” Felicity whispered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It's working.” Oliver said, watching as the Dominators clutched at their necks in pain before running off and being beamed up to their ships. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about the superhero bomb?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone remained silent, listening as Jax struggled. Barry jumped when Jax started yelling and Oliver looked at him. Barry bit his lip, meeting his gaze before looking back at the bomb that was still falling. He held his breath and let out a small, surprised laugh when a cascade of water fell from the sky. The group on the rooftop walked forward, Sara and Cisco rejoicing in their ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did it.” Oliver looked over his shoulders at Kara and Barry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No Oliver,” she said, smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We all did it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry didn’t have much of a chance to get Oliver alone while they were doing clean up and leading up to the small ceremony that the government hosted for them at the hanger. He stood next to him as Felicity poured the champagne. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Oliver said and the pair of them looked at each other before stepping away from the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cheers,” Barry clinked his glass against Oliver’s gently. They were just about out of the building when they heard Kara calling after them. As much as Barry liked her, he really just needed a few moments alone with Oliver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, hey guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey.” Barry smiled at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Either of you guys ever save the world before?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmhm.” Barry nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Last year.” Oliver looked at Barry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it doesn’t get old, does it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, and it sure beats screwing up the world.” Barry looked down at his glass. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you are too hard on yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s what people usually tell me.” Oliver looked at Barry with a raised eyebrow and Barry just shrugged, sipping his drink. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And for good reason, I’m sure. But back on my Earth it's just me and my cousin. Between the two of us we’re more powerful than -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everybody in this room combined.” Barry snorted looking at Oliver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, that’s my point.” She whacked his arm gently. “That’s what you’ve all proven here. Metahuman or not, superpowers or not, you are Earth’s mightiest heroes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um...I owe you an apology,” Oliver started and Barry looked between him and Kara confused. “Keeping you at arm’s length was the wrong move and ah, well the truth is that this Earth could probably use a Supergirl.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s funny cause I was just thinking that my Earth could use an Oliver Queen.” Kara smiled and Oliver shook his head, unable to keep the small smile from his face. “I know you said you don’t get unnerved -” Barry snorted covering it with a cough when Oliver glared at him. Kara laughed softly but continued as if they hadn’t interrupted her, “but if you did I think hardship is what makes us stronger. That’s probably why these people look to you as their rock.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys feeling a group hug?” Barry looked between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on.” Kara urged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not like you’re fast enough to get away from us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All right. Come here.” Oliver wrapped his arms around them and felt Barry squeeze him just a tad tighter than normal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Kara, I made you something.” Cisco jogged over and the three pulled themselves apart. Barry stayed next to Oliver, close enough that their arms were brushing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Cisco, what ah...what is it?” Kara asked, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it's an interdimensional extrapolator. It creates small breachers so you can use it to cross over to our universe anytime you need to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, that’s amazing.” Kara smiled looking down at it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I also included communication functionality so if you ever need any help you can always contact the team.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, skirt, call me.” Mick walked between them and Barry covered his laugh by hiding his face in Oliver’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The celebration started to wind down and eventually everyone was ready to head back to their respective ships, earths, or cities. “You ready to see if Cisco’s gadget works?” Barry asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready, and remember, you guys ever need me, I’m just a call away.” Kara played with the device.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same here.” Oliver assured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It's weird to think that all of this started with the two of us. You ever think of what it would be like if we never got on that boat?” Sara looked over at Oliver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I have to think about it. I mean maybe the dominators showed us what our lives would have been like.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know it was a prison but in a way - “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In a way it was a gift.” Oliver finished gently, looking at Barry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stay out of trouble.” Sara hugged him and Oliver smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Oliver stepped forward, stopping to stand next to Diggle and Barry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There she goes. Off to her spaceship time traveling as if it's totally normal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, John, it's like you said. Normal sort of went out  the window when this one arrived.” Oliver looked over at Barry who just laughed and shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I may never understand you man, but you’re one of the best men I know.” Diggle reached his hand out to Barry and shook his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Dig. So you forgive me? For what I did?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Barry, it's like I keep telling this guy. You have to forgive yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Barry said softly, looking at Oliver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good luck.” Diggle clapped him on the shoulder and walked to the van where Felicity was waiting for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, thanks.” Barry looked over as Oliver stepped closer to him. “Well, we got to do this more often. Get together, I mean.” He looked up at Oliver, smirking slightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if the world could take it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean without the world being threatened.” Barry stepped closer to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If the world wasn’t being threatened, what would we do?” Oliver closed the remaining distance, his hands resting on Barry’s waist. Barry smirked and grabbed him taking off for S.T.A.R Labs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*~*~*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just saying that next time I’m going to get ya.” Oliver sat up, taking the beer the Barry offered him and leaned back against the wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry settled next to him, draping the blanket so it covered him as well. “I’m just saying I beat you twice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First time was a tie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the second time?” Barry asked, smirking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There were no witnesses to the second time.” Oliver muttered and took a sip of his beer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Superspeed arrow duels. Our lives aren’t exactly normal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told Kara that I was looking to reclaim some normal. Thinking on it now, I’m not so sure,” Oliver said softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know what you mean. We both got a look at what life would look like normal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would have been happy.” Oliver looked at his drink. “I...I saw everything as if I never got on the boat. I was marrying Laurel, my parents were alive. No fighting, no killing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds perfect.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was,” Oliver whispered. “I thought it was. Something was always missing, I could never quite figured it out until after I left.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barry looked up at him. “What was it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oliver smiled softly and leaned in, kissing him slowly. He pulled back slightly. “It would have been happy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But not full,” Barry whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no where close.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To things not being normal.” Barry looked up at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To life being full.” Oliver kissed him again. He pulled back and kept Barry close and closed his eyes, Laurel’s smile greeting him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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